2023-08-05 05:14:45
Pope Francis took another bath of crowds this Friday in Lisbon by presiding over a Stations of the Cross that brought together 800,000 pilgrims, on the third day of his visit to Portugal on the occasion of the great meeting of Catholics on World Youth Day (WYD). ).
“This is the most exciting part of the days, when we come to get closer to the pope,” said Estefanía Badillo, a 36-year-old Peruvian pilgrim who had been able to see up close the pontiff’s passage towards the stage of the Eduardo VII park.
As already happened the day before, Francis arrived in a “popemobile” at these gardens in the center of the Portuguese capital, acclaimed by thousands of young faithful who sang “This is the youth of the Pope!” and waved the colorful flags of numerous countries.
Despite the fact that two months ago he underwent a major abdominal operation as he moves in a wheelchair or leaning on a cane, the 86-year-old pontiff appears smiling and in good shape in Lisbon.
On its long journey, the “popemobile” – which was advancing slowly and surrounded by a tight security cordon – stopped several times to greet the faithful and bless several babies.
“Every moment that we meet the Holy Father is an emotion that motivates us to continue in faith,” said Pedro Puac, a 27-year-old pilgrim from Guatemala who spent hours under the intense Portuguese summer sun to see up close to the first Latin American pontiff.
From these extensive gardens with views over the Tagus, Francisco later presided over the Via Crucis, a recreation of the stages of Calvary and death of Jesus. During the ceremony there were testimonials from young people who had overcome different problems, music and an artistic performance from the different heights that make up the large blue stage set up for WYD.
“Loving is risky. You have to run the risk of loving. It’s a risk, but it’s worth running,” Francisco said during his brief speech, again in Spanish, like most of those he has given during his busy schedule in Lisbon. .
Some 800,000 people attended the event, according to estimates by local authorities, who expect the number to reach one million at the closing mass of this edition of WYD, scheduled for Sunday in a park on the outskirts of Lisbon.
Earlier, the Argentine Jesuit had lunch in the company of ten young people of different nationalities at the apostolic nunciature, equivalent to the Vatican embassy in Portugal, where Francis has resided since his arrival in the country.
His agenda this Friday started with a confession to a young Guatemalan, a Spaniard and an Italian, before giving a brief speech before representatives of social works in a disadvantaged neighborhood of the Portuguese capital.
Since his landing in Portugal on Wednesday, Jorge Bergoglio addressed various topics at the many WYD events, such as ecology, the war in Ukraine or the pain of victims of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church.
On Saturday morning he will make a quick visit to Fátima (downtown), one of the most frequented Marian sanctuaries in the world, and then he will preside over a great vigil in a park on the outskirts of Lisbon.
WYD, which is made up of a series of festive, cultural and spiritual meetings that bring together young people from all continents, was created in 1986 at the initiative of John Paul II.
After those held in Rio de Janeiro (2013), Krakow (2016) and Panama (2019), this edition – which had to be delayed a year due to the pandemic – is the fourth WYD for Francis.
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